After Flirting with the Wrong Stand-in, I Overturned (GL) - Chapter 21

[I said this person looked familiar, turns out it’s that scheming b*tch!]

[Disgusting. I can’t believe I praised her earlier. Retract, retract! So gross.]

[Leaning into my God’s arms—here’s the picture for everyone (JPG). Let me say it again: clout-chasers go to hell!]

[Argh! My two favorite male stars and my favorite character… how did she latch onto all of them? My White Moonlight Senior Sister!]

[Is Senior Sister going to be ruined before she even appears? So sad, so sad.]

[…]

The moment Ren Xuan opened Weibo, the official announcement post—which had been relatively quiet earlier—was now a toxic mess filled with curses. The initial positive comments had been pushed to the very bottom.

Netizens claiming to know the “inside story” were widely circulating clips from a variety show Lin Shuyan had participated in to “educate” others. Someone even made a “fact-sheet” post, detailing every “scheming” thing Lin Shuyan had done on the show Let’s Go Together.

This included, but was not limited to, pushing Bai Zhanyan, trying to get close to the “God” Li Yiming, and various forms of clout-chasing. Fans of the male and female leads of The Dragon Emperor, suddenly bombarded with this information, worried that their idols would be “leeched” off of. Some had even begun calling for the production team to delete her scenes.

Seeing things spiral out of control, Ren Xuan asked, “What is the standard procedure for this?” After all, she had never worked in the entertainment industry and didn’t understand how these things were handled.

“Xuan,” Ning Yinman said seriously, “tell me the truth. Were those things Lin Shuyan did intentional or accidental?”

Ren Xuan recalled the Lin Shuyan she had known and said with absolute certainty, “No. She isn’t that kind of person. I don’t believe she would push someone or chase clout.”

If she had that kind of calculated mind, she would have clung to a “big tree” like Ren Xuan long ago. Ren Xuan wouldn’t have needed to drop hint after hint. If Lin Shuyan ever asked, Ren Xuan would give her any resource she wanted. While Ren Xuan wouldn’t do it proactively, if the female lead were that kind of person, the mission would arguably be much simpler.

“Xuan,” Ning Yinman didn’t hesitate, “since you believe her, I believe her too.” Ning Yinman had seen all sorts of people in the industry, and she trusted her own judgment.

“Thank you, Yinman,” Ren Xuan said after a moment of silence.

“Oh, stop,” Ning Yinman laughed. “Getting a ‘thank you’ from you makes all this work worth it.”

“How do you need me to cooperate?”

“No need,” Ning Yinman chuckled. “The entertainment industry has its own ways. It’s better to channel the water than to block it. Since the netizens want to curse, let them have their fill first. I’ve already sent people to investigate the actual situation of that variety show.”

Everything leaves a trace, especially a show like that. There were so many cameras and staff members on site. A professional can easily tell if a video was edited or if it’s the raw footage.

“I took a look, and the main person targeting Lin Shuyan is Bai Zhanyan. They came from the same company—did they have a grudge in the past?”

“I’m not sure,” Ren Xuan shook her head. Most of what she knew about Lin Shuyan’s past company came from online searches; she didn’t know much more than Ning Yinman, and she knew even less about Bai Zhanyan.

“Based on my years of experience, Bai Zhanyan definitely hired water armies (paid posters). The phrasing of the insults is almost identical,” Ning Yinman analyzed. “Right now, the narrative online is unified. Waiting for the public outcry to reach its peak before dropping a reversal will actually be a good thing for Lin Shuyan.”

Besides, she needed a little time to uncover the truth.

“Xuan, stay off Weibo for a bit. Don’t be impulsive.”

“Am I that kind of person?” Ren Xuan questioned herself.

“I’m just worried, okay?” Ning Yinman couldn’t be sure if Ren Xuan would go to war for her lady, so she had to give a warning in advance.

“Don’t worry, I know where the line is.” After settling things with Ning Yinman, Ren Xuan hung up. Looking at her phone, she saw Lin Shuyan’s number. After a thought, she decided to call.

No answer.

She called again. Still no answer.

Ren Xuan was persistent and kept dialing without pause, but the only response was the mechanical female voice: [I’m sorry, the number you have dialed is not answering. Please redial later.]

“President Ren, are you going out?” The secretary, Xiao Zhang, holding a stack of documents, saw Ren Xuan walking out hurriedly. Sensing an emergency, she quickly said, “President Ren, I’ll put these on your desk first.”

Ren Xuan walked two steps before stopping. While continuing to dial the phone, she asked, “Is there anything urgent for today?”

“No,” Xiao Zhang shook her head.

“Leave them there. I have to go out. If anyone looks for me, tell them tomorrow.” Leaving that instruction, Ren Xuan rushed toward the elevator, phone in hand.

Xiao Zhang stood there dazed before moving the files into the office.

The driver she had contacted was already at the company entrance. Ren Xuan simply said “Lin Shuyan’s house,” and the driver understood. Throughout the drive, Ren Xuan never stopped dialing, but the mechanical voice now told her the phone was turned off.

In an instant, a bad premonition grew stronger. Ren Xuan couldn’t help but urge, “Drive faster.”

“President Ren,” the driver, Feng Tao, reminded her, “this is already as fast as I can go.”

The scenery blurring past the window confirmed that the speed couldn’t be increased. Ren Xuan fell silent, staring at her phone, hoping for a single sound from the other side.

“President Ren…” Before Feng Tao could finish his sentence, Ren Xuan threw the car door open and ran straight into the stairwell of the old apartment building.

She had been here a few times. Taking two steps at a time, showing no signs of fatigue, she rushed up. Minutes later, she stood before Lin Shuyan’s door. Her hand, ready to knock, paused for a split second.

At the same time, Zheng Qing of Sheng Huang was facing a major challenge in her career. She had just contacted the company’s PR and coordinated with The Dragon Emperor crew, promising to resolve the matter and ensure no negative impact on the production.

However, Lin Shuyan wasn’t answering her phone. As Zheng Qing frowned, Song Tang burst in.

“Sister Zheng, Sister Zheng! Did you see Shuyan she…” Song Tang ran to the desk, panting.

“I saw it,” Zheng Qing nodded expressionlessly.

“Shuyan… she’ll be okay, right?” Song Tang’s face was crumpled with worry. “The stuff online is definitely fake. They’re obviously slandering her!”

“Sister Zheng,” noticing that Zheng Qing wasn’t as righteously indignant as she expected, Song Tang asked weakly, “you don’t believe it, do you?”

“It doesn’t matter if I believe it or not,” Zheng Qing shook her head. “What matters is what it looks like to the netizens.”

“But they’re clearly making things up!”

“Song Tang,” Zheng Qing reminded her, “you’ve only known Lin Shuyan for a few months.”

“What do you mean?” Song Tang was stunned.

“I mean, don’t jump to conclusions before understanding the facts.” Seeing Song Tang about to argue, Zheng Qing continued, “I’m not saying Lin Shuyan is a problem; I’ve worked with her and know her character, but nothing in this world is absolute.”

Song Tang forced herself to be patient and seemed to grasp the point. “Sister Zheng, I understand, but what about Shuyan? Should we go see her?”

Zheng Qing shook her head inwardly; it was clear the girl hadn’t truly taken the warning to heart. As a top-tier manager who just wanted a bit of peace these last two years, she seemed to have ended up with two artists who weren’t particularly street-smart.

“I’m calling her now,” Zheng Qing gestured to her phone.

“Oh, okay.” Song Tang shut her mouth, waiting to hear Shuyan’s reaction.

“Still no answer,” Zheng Qing shook her head.

“Huh?”

“Sister Zheng,” Song Tang swallowed hard, thinking about the mess online. If those people were talking about her… Song Tang would have picked a fight immediately, but Shuyan wasn’t like that. “Shuyan… she’ll be okay, right?”

“She should be,” Zheng Qing said. Lin Shuyan appeared delicate, but from their discussions about scripts, Zheng Qing could see she was soft on the outside but very firm on the inside. She wouldn’t be broken just by netizens talking. Besides, during the peak of Let’s Go Together, the insults weren’t any less than they were now. If she held out then, she wouldn’t give up easily now.

“Let’s go see her.” Zheng Qing decided to go to Shuyan’s home. Professionally and personally, she should make the trip. Song Tang volunteered to go with her.

After navigating several turns, Song Tang was shocked when they reached the bottom of Lin Shuyan’s building. Zheng Qing had been here before; she was a self-made woman who had seen much tougher conditions in her youth. She climbed the stairs without losing her breath. Song Tang didn’t say anything, but her mind was racing—she never realized Shuyan’s living conditions were this poor. She vowed to be even better to Shuyan in the future.

The two of them looked up and could see Lin Shuyan’s floor, which had two doors. Zheng Qing had been to the complex but never inside the building, so she couldn’t immediately tell which door was Shuyan’s. However, someone was already standing in front of one door, knocking.

The back of this person looked familiar. Before Zheng Qing could place it, Song Tang poked her sleeve and whispered, “Sister Zheng, that person doesn’t live here, right?”

The stranger was dressed in designer brands from head to toe—and not the kind of “gaudy rich” brands anyone could buy. Song Tang remembered seeing the same outfit at a high-end exhibition she’d struggled to get a ticket for.

Furthermore, setting aside the clothes, the woman’s aura was exceptional—a perfect image of a corporate elite. Song Tang hadn’t met many people like that, but she’d seen them on TV. This person was completely out of place in this stairwell.

“Sister Zheng, do you know which side Shuyan lives on?”

The lady at the door knocked again.

There was a sound from inside. It was this response that made the two visitors tremble. It was a familiar female voice: “Coming.”

The door opened.

“Miss Ren.” Lin Shuyan looked at the person in front of her in shock. The clothes she had thrown on hurriedly were a bit messy, and her loosely tied hair was still dripping with water. “Why did you come here?”